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The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has called Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) chief Vijay a "corrupt person” who has “earned crores by illegally selling [movie] tickets on the black market”. The statement was made by the IT wing of the AIADMK in response to Vijay’s speech at a TVK party functionaries meeting held in the outskirts of Chennai on January 25, calling AIADMK a “corrupt party”. This is the first time AIADMK has launched a direct attack on Vijay.
In a strongly worded response, the AIADMK said, “Corruption is earning money illegally. In that sense, actor Vijay, who has earned crores by illegally selling [movie] tickets on the black market, is himself a corrupt person."
Pointing to the Karur stampede that took 41 lives, the AIADMK asked, "Aren't you also partly responsible for the deaths of 41 people in Karur? Instead of seeking atonement for that, why did you hide in Panaiyur for 72 days out of fear of facing a lawsuit?"
The AIADMK also reminded Vijay of the time he waited for five hours to seek help from then chief minister Jayalalithaa for his film Thalaiva, asking, "Do we need to remind you that you stood with folded hands for five hours before the then chief minister for a film?"
"Is this your politics, to call the AIADMK a corrupt party, and then keep someone who was a minister during the AIADMK regime by your side while you speak?" the AIADMK questioned, referring to KA Sengottaiyan, TVK’s High-level Administrative Committee chief coordinator.
The AIADMK has also criticised Vijay for not personally meeting the people affected by the stampede in Karur. "The 'narcissistic behavior' of releasing a video with glycerin-induced tears instead of meeting and comforting the affected people in person is dangerous," it said.
Earlier, in the aftermath of the Karur stampede, the AIADMK and BJP had adopted a seemingly soft approach towards Vijay, abstaining from criticising him.
When AIADMK’s Edappadi K Palaniswami announced that "an alliance will be formed with a major party," it was speculated that it was in reference to Vijay and TVK. But now, Vijay's direct attack on the AIADMK, and the AIADMK's response, indicate that alliance possibilities between the two sides have broken down.